Origin:
stay + vacation = staycation
Definition:
n. a period of time off from work that is spent at or near home, instead of spent traveling.
Exemplum:
Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Jo Six-Pack couldn't afford Labor Day in the Hamptons, so they took a staycation to their local casino instead.
Commentary:
The liberal media has made a big deal of its silly staycation idea. I thought everyman had seen through such thinly veiled anti-American nonsense and everyday folks were back to living off their trust fund interest. But I heard a mention of it again on the news, so apparently not. I watch Fox News everyday and yet I'm still out of touch. Oh, exasperation, you are the ficklest of goddesses!
If one must discuss the lamentable spare time of the hoi polloi, I vehemently prefer "holistay" to "staycation." At least the former hints at the timeless class of a formidable Briticism. Even in these difficult economic times, let's be civilized about things.
Today's term falls still within our current wave of oxymoronic portmanteaux. We all know that vacation means a relaxing whiskaway to St. Bart's, The Hamptons, Aspen or, if you're really strapped for class, Hilton Head. So the notion of staying home for your vacation is certain to itch at the old cranial follicles.
But such are the times, and thus today's term was brought to light. Because if Nate Winter isn't a man of the people, and Portmanteau of the Day isn't a service to the people, then it's all headed straight to Hades anyway.
Credit:
Anonymous (staycation), The Daily Show (holistay), Nate Winter (the rest)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thrillmette
Origin:
thrill + Wilmette, Illinois = Thrillmette
Definition:
n. Wilmette, Illinois (used derogatorily or sarcastically)
Exemplum:
Taking her dog to the park, going to the gym and watching Flight of the Conchords reruns were often the highlights of Brooke's summer in Thrillmette.
Commentary:
A rousing tangent to the oxymoronic portmanteau is the place portmanteau, which on occasion combines a place name with a non-applicable word, as in Thrillmette. We're not meant to believe that sleepy little Wilmette is all that thrilling. Rather, the addition of such a strongly positive term like "thrill" reveals that addition as humor. Ha ha!
Although "thrill" is a common noun and needn't be capitalized in normal usage, we capitalize "Thrillmette" to reinforce this term as a city name, and by extension a proper noun.
"Thrill" is especially useful for these playful place names, as it rhymefully replaces the ubiquitous suffix "ville" to great comic effect. Other Chicagoland examples include Naperthrill, Warrenthrill and Elk Grove Thrillage, but the possibilities are nearly endless.
And "thrill" and "ville" represent but one opportunity for portmanteau place names. Chicagoland is also home to Elmhearse, Coke-brook, Lombored, Arlington Shites, Glen Smellyn, Palacrime and Hins-stale.
Request for Reader Participation
Please click below to post comments with your own place name portmanteaux.
Credit:
Brooke Randel (Thrillmette), Betsy Erickson (Naperthrill), Nate Winter (the rest)
thrill + Wilmette, Illinois = Thrillmette
Definition:
n. Wilmette, Illinois (used derogatorily or sarcastically)
Exemplum:
Taking her dog to the park, going to the gym and watching Flight of the Conchords reruns were often the highlights of Brooke's summer in Thrillmette.
Commentary:
A rousing tangent to the oxymoronic portmanteau is the place portmanteau, which on occasion combines a place name with a non-applicable word, as in Thrillmette. We're not meant to believe that sleepy little Wilmette is all that thrilling. Rather, the addition of such a strongly positive term like "thrill" reveals that addition as humor. Ha ha!
Although "thrill" is a common noun and needn't be capitalized in normal usage, we capitalize "Thrillmette" to reinforce this term as a city name, and by extension a proper noun.
"Thrill" is especially useful for these playful place names, as it rhymefully replaces the ubiquitous suffix "ville" to great comic effect. Other Chicagoland examples include Naperthrill, Warrenthrill and Elk Grove Thrillage, but the possibilities are nearly endless.
And "thrill" and "ville" represent but one opportunity for portmanteau place names. Chicagoland is also home to Elmhearse, Coke-brook, Lombored, Arlington Shites, Glen Smellyn, Palacrime and Hins-stale.
Request for Reader Participation
Please click below to post comments with your own place name portmanteaux.
Credit:
Brooke Randel (Thrillmette), Betsy Erickson (Naperthrill), Nate Winter (the rest)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Table of Discontents (News Update)
Dear fellow portmanteau enthusiasts.
As you may have already noticed, this post is not a new portmanteau. But please don't be alarmed; today's portmanteau will show up later this evening. This post is simply a functional update on the behind-the-scenes goings-on here at the Portmanteau of the Day international offices.
The overwhelming success Portmanteau of the Day has seen in its inaugural three weeks is far from surprising. However, that incontestable fact notwithstanding, I was unprepared for the workload of it all, which is to blame for the interruptions in service. So I'm taking steps to resolve them and add other user-friendly morsels to the Portmanteau of the Day experience.
Kindly pardon our detritus over the coming weeks as we toil selflessly to bring you the following.
Nate Winter
As you may have already noticed, this post is not a new portmanteau. But please don't be alarmed; today's portmanteau will show up later this evening. This post is simply a functional update on the behind-the-scenes goings-on here at the Portmanteau of the Day international offices.
The overwhelming success Portmanteau of the Day has seen in its inaugural three weeks is far from surprising. However, that incontestable fact notwithstanding, I was unprepared for the workload of it all, which is to blame for the interruptions in service. So I'm taking steps to resolve them and add other user-friendly morsels to the Portmanteau of the Day experience.
Kindly pardon our detritus over the coming weeks as we toil selflessly to bring you the following.
- Staff additions
- More engaging content
- Greater reader interactivity
- An improved business model
Nate Winter
mathlete
Origin:
math + athlete = mathlete
Definition:
n. one who excels in mathematical ability
Exemplum:
Having studied calculus three years before any of his peers, Adam was Marmion Academy's first-choice mathlete for the academic decathlon.
Commentary:
Today's term is another installment of the oxymoronic portmanteau. This one especially tickles the cerebral funny bone for me because it harkens back to the timeless high school chasm between nerds and jocks-- a chasm which "mathlete" attempts to bridge. And fails-- miserably and hilariously.
"Mathlete" itself just smacks of a feeble, nerdly attempt to identify with the abilities and popularity of jocks. It's possible that this term has been used in television or film, but I've never encountered it in such ways. Which is surprising because I find its connotations to be irrefutably cinematic. The projector of the mind brings immediately to light an out-of-touch mother's futile attempt to reassure her nerdy son that he's cool in some alternative universe. It's just a smart, delightful, little way to poke fun at nerdliness, an activity in which everyone should engage any time the inclination arises.
Credit:
Anonymous (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
math + athlete = mathlete
Definition:
n. one who excels in mathematical ability
Exemplum:
Having studied calculus three years before any of his peers, Adam was Marmion Academy's first-choice mathlete for the academic decathlon.
Commentary:
Today's term is another installment of the oxymoronic portmanteau. This one especially tickles the cerebral funny bone for me because it harkens back to the timeless high school chasm between nerds and jocks-- a chasm which "mathlete" attempts to bridge. And fails-- miserably and hilariously.
"Mathlete" itself just smacks of a feeble, nerdly attempt to identify with the abilities and popularity of jocks. It's possible that this term has been used in television or film, but I've never encountered it in such ways. Which is surprising because I find its connotations to be irrefutably cinematic. The projector of the mind brings immediately to light an out-of-touch mother's futile attempt to reassure her nerdy son that he's cool in some alternative universe. It's just a smart, delightful, little way to poke fun at nerdliness, an activity in which everyone should engage any time the inclination arises.
Credit:
Anonymous (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
wisdumb
Origin:
wisdom + dumb = wisdumb
Definition:
n. a phrase or comment intended as an astute observation, that actually reveals unintelligence
Exemplum:
Emily's Yogi Tea revealed the words of wisdumb "Trust is the infinity of your soul," leaving us parched and craving the New Yorker.
Commentary:
Yet another entry in the oxymoronic portmanteau category. And this one has far more noble origins than frenemy. Which is to say, the source of its coinage is unknown. But it expresses an all-too familiar condition: the person who professes to be more intelligent than he or she truly is. The phenomenon as been documented by Shakespeare ("This above all: to thine own self be true"), The Simpsons ("They have the internet on computers now.") and clearly Yogi Tea, among others.
My father once saw an advertisement for Cartier timepieces in which "wisdom" was spelled "widsom." This regrettable exemplum is the meta-prototypical epitome of wisdumb-- having inadvertently advertisingly spelled "wisdom" incorrectly. He and I checked the time on our meticulously synchronized Patek Philippes, and had a hearty intergenerational rollick of it.
Credit:
Anonymous (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
wisdom + dumb = wisdumb
Definition:
n. a phrase or comment intended as an astute observation, that actually reveals unintelligence
Exemplum:
Emily's Yogi Tea revealed the words of wisdumb "Trust is the infinity of your soul," leaving us parched and craving the New Yorker.
Commentary:
Yet another entry in the oxymoronic portmanteau category. And this one has far more noble origins than frenemy. Which is to say, the source of its coinage is unknown. But it expresses an all-too familiar condition: the person who professes to be more intelligent than he or she truly is. The phenomenon as been documented by Shakespeare ("This above all: to thine own self be true"), The Simpsons ("They have the internet on computers now.") and clearly Yogi Tea, among others.
My father once saw an advertisement for Cartier timepieces in which "wisdom" was spelled "widsom." This regrettable exemplum is the meta-prototypical epitome of wisdumb-- having inadvertently advertisingly spelled "wisdom" incorrectly. He and I checked the time on our meticulously synchronized Patek Philippes, and had a hearty intergenerational rollick of it.
Credit:
Anonymous (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
frenemy
Origin:
friend + enemy = frenemy
Definition:
n. a person who acts outwardly friendly to someone he or she truly despises
Exemplum:
Despite their seemingly cordial rapport, Justin and Richard were life-long frenemies, a status that made everyone on the polo field uneasy.
Commentary:
Again, the origin of today's term is sincerely horrid. I'm told it hails from MTV's The Hills and was coined to describe the relationship between characters Heidi Montag Pratt and Lauren Conrad. Language lacks the depth and nuance to express the annoyance, ennui and white collar rage I feel based on the fact that these two are associated with the coinage of such a formidable portmanteau.
I'd much prefer a connotation with characters Lucille Bluth and Lucille Ostero from Fox's golden-headed step-child Arrested Development. Their frenemyship ebbed and flowed so delectably across three ill-fated seasons. Alas, I digress.
While frenemy's pedigree use is eternally regrettable, it is indeed a fascinatingly apt term. It also illustrates another nascent trend in today's portmanteaux-- the oxymoron.
By nature, the oxymoron is quizzical. Why would two opposites ever be used together to even necessitate the word oxymoron? And yet the oxymoronism of the friend/enemy dichotomy is alive and well.
But then to take these unlikely bedfellows and force them to share a single word is a stroke of tender, supple genius. Doesn't it just make you want to lay back against your burled walnut headboard a smoke a cigarette? Simply amazing.
Kindly expect a few more neologisms from the oxymoron category in the coming days.
Credit:
Idiots from Cali (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
friend + enemy = frenemy
Definition:
n. a person who acts outwardly friendly to someone he or she truly despises
Exemplum:
Despite their seemingly cordial rapport, Justin and Richard were life-long frenemies, a status that made everyone on the polo field uneasy.
Commentary:
Again, the origin of today's term is sincerely horrid. I'm told it hails from MTV's The Hills and was coined to describe the relationship between characters Heidi Montag Pratt and Lauren Conrad. Language lacks the depth and nuance to express the annoyance, ennui and white collar rage I feel based on the fact that these two are associated with the coinage of such a formidable portmanteau.
I'd much prefer a connotation with characters Lucille Bluth and Lucille Ostero from Fox's golden-headed step-child Arrested Development. Their frenemyship ebbed and flowed so delectably across three ill-fated seasons. Alas, I digress.
While frenemy's pedigree use is eternally regrettable, it is indeed a fascinatingly apt term. It also illustrates another nascent trend in today's portmanteaux-- the oxymoron.
By nature, the oxymoron is quizzical. Why would two opposites ever be used together to even necessitate the word oxymoron? And yet the oxymoronism of the friend/enemy dichotomy is alive and well.
But then to take these unlikely bedfellows and force them to share a single word is a stroke of tender, supple genius. Doesn't it just make you want to lay back against your burled walnut headboard a smoke a cigarette? Simply amazing.
Kindly expect a few more neologisms from the oxymoron category in the coming days.
Credit:
Idiots from Cali (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
Monday, August 17, 2009
Brangelina
Origin:
Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie = Brangelina
Definition:
n. celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Exemplum:
BRANGELINA ON THE ROCKS?!
Brad eschews family, pees alone in African clean water supply
Commentary:
Admittedly, today's term is well known amongst even the most cursory attendants of celebrity "culture." So it's not particularly novel in itself, but noteworthy rather as the most visible example in a growing category of celebrity couple portmanteaux. Other examples include:
I opine that the portmanteau has far more honorable and triumphant uses than the hoi polloi's disposable celebrity star gazing. However, it sits to reason that lady portmanteau will perpetually remain the master of those who use her most. Hence, this blog and its mission to help the literati to regain control of the universe. Amen.
Credit:
unknown (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
* Curiously, this same portmanteau didn't apply to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. They were branded with the ill-fated and expectoratiously cacophonous "Garfleck." Although in retrospect, the aesthetic effect is appropriate for their popularity.
Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie = Brangelina
Definition:
n. celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Exemplum:
BRANGELINA ON THE ROCKS?!
Brad eschews family, pees alone in African clean water supply
Commentary:
Admittedly, today's term is well known amongst even the most cursory attendants of celebrity "culture." So it's not particularly novel in itself, but noteworthy rather as the most visible example in a growing category of celebrity couple portmanteaux. Other examples include:
- TomKat (Tom Cruise + Katie Holmes)
- Beniffer (Ben Affleck + Jennifer Lopez)*
- Speidi (Spencer Pratt + Heidi Montag Pratt)
I opine that the portmanteau has far more honorable and triumphant uses than the hoi polloi's disposable celebrity star gazing. However, it sits to reason that lady portmanteau will perpetually remain the master of those who use her most. Hence, this blog and its mission to help the literati to regain control of the universe. Amen.
Credit:
unknown (term), Nate Winter (the rest)
* Curiously, this same portmanteau didn't apply to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. They were branded with the ill-fated and expectoratiously cacophonous "Garfleck." Although in retrospect, the aesthetic effect is appropriate for their popularity.
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